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Dedicated to the unknown number of lives lost and the survivors that will never forget them

Footage: international rescuers arrive in Venezuela, teleSUR, 26 June 2026 · Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Rescue Response

Official Documents / ReportsTestimonialsMedia reports

The June 24 doublet was met with an outpouring of international support with 31 countries pledging assistance and 27 countries deploying urban search and rescue teams to pull survivors to safety. The critical time-frame to find and rescue survivors is 72 hours with 24 hours the window of opportunity to rescue the maximum amount.

International rescue teams began to arrive on June 25 with the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Mexico reportedly the first to hit the ground. The majority of urban search and rescue teams, including those deployed by the United States, arrived on June 26, approximately 48 hours after the earthquake.

On June 26, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello restricted access to La Guaira with large swaths of the affected region closed to outsiders, and a mandatory accreditation system instituted for medical personnel, volunteers, and family members seeking entrance to support relief efforts and locate their loved ones.

International urban search and rescue teams follow a unified international accreditation and coordination system and function under the control of the designated local authority with Venezuelan National Guard commanding general Juan Ernesto Sulbarán Quintero appointed to lead the emergency response.

The international relief effort was hampered by restrictions that were placed on the urban search and rescue teams on the ground and visa denials that prevented others from entering the country. Venezuelan authorities were widely criticized for their own response with aid and needed equipment slow to arrive to heavy hit areas.

The emergency response in the critical time-period to pull victims to safety was largely conducted by civilians operating without equipment or personal protective gear. The number of lives that were lost as a result of the response remains unknown.

The information below contains official reports about the management of the relief response and raw footage, testimonials, and media reports of the rescue efforts and lack thereof.

Official Reports

Government & international agencies

Testimonials / First-person accounts

Rescue teams

Media reports

News coverage